Sunday Session: Living with hate and how Paul Gallen almost joined the Sea Eagles

PAUL Gallen talks to Robert Craddock about life as an Origin bad boy and his desire to halt a Maroons side chasing nine series in a row.

Robert Craddock Sunday Session

The Sunday TelegraphApril 26, 20145:15pm

NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen.Source:News Limited

HE’S the Blue that started a blue — the anti-hero that every State of Origin series must have.

As the skipper of the Sharks and NSW, Paul Gallen is cherished by teammates and publicly loathed, if not secretly admired, by opponents.

In the lead-up to another instalment of one of the great rivalries in Australian sport, Gallen speaks about what it is like to be an Origin bad boy and his desire to turn the tables on a Queensland side chasing their ninth series win in a row.

What sort of reception do you get from the man in the street when you come to Queensland?

They hammer me. I am not going to lie. But I think a lot of time it is done out of respect for me. A lot of older people come up and give it to me, then they say ‘but we think you can play.’ A lot of time on tour with the Australian team, Queensland supporters will say we think you are a great player but we hate you’. I think there is a bit of respect there but I won’t hide the fact they give it to me when they can.

Paul Gallen makes a run.Source:News Limited

How about when you are walking around the city. Do you cop much?

Multiple times walking through the (Queen Street) mall over the years. Not only me but all of us, even though I get the brunt of it. That’s fine. People (from NSW) did it to Wally Lewis, Gorden Tallis and Darren Lockyer and you look at those guys and what they achieved. If I am not doing something right, they would not be doing it to me.

I once saw where you said one of your mates was a brickie, who was sick and tired of having to defend you. Can you remember that?

Yes. I have friends who listen to people carrying on about me. I don’t know what their fascination with me is. Obviously when things happen, people have their opinion. I have a lot of friends who are tradies and they do their best to stick up for me.

Do you holiday in Queensland?

Half my family lives in Queensland. My dad, my two brothers and my sister live here, so I am up here a bit.

Do they cop it?

A bit. My brothers have copped a bit playing games up here. But it is nothing they cannot handle. They are fine.

How long did it take you to settle things with Nate Myles after you famous on- field blue last year?

There was no issue with me and Nate whatsoever. Me and him knew better than anyone, what was said on the field, it was done and dusted then and there. I’m pretty sure he feels the same. He is a great guy, Nate. It really disappoints me how often it is played on television. Fighting was basically banned from that incident. I don’t think something that I was suspended for should be used to promote the game. Unfortunately it is out there but I am doing anti-bullying campaigns at schools at the moment and unfortunately you get a lot of people carrying on about that incident.

Paul Gallen and Nate Myles fight during State of Origin Game 1 last year.Source:News Limited

You would be hard-pressed to hurt Myles with a punch — that head always looks as if it could absorb anything thrown at it?

It is as hard (a head) as I have felt. I will give him that.

So you don’t think the incident should be used to promote the series?

Not at all, because I was suspended and because it is outlawed.

Would you punch him again in the same situation?

Look I am not proud of what I did. I certainly won’t be showing my kids highlights of it. At the time, it was what happened on the field and what was said. Obviously now, I would have to think twice about it because you get 10 minutes in the sin bin, so there are a lot more repercussions to it. I am not going to say I would never do it again but I am not proud of it.

Where do you get your competitive streak from?

People ask me this question all the time but I have no idea. I go to training sometimes and think I am not going to carry on today and I find myself carrying on. I don’t know where it comes from.

Were you a rowdy kid at school?

I don’t think I was really rowdy but I was a definite boy. like my son is at the moment. He is just a great little kid — a real boy.

Sharks captain Paul Gallen thanks fans.Source:Getty Images

You have been very loyal to Cronulla despite the fact the club has always had to battle. Has that tested you?

That is a good question. I have never been asked that. Look, it has been tough a couple of times. I am glad I have been that person. I think it is going to hold me in good stead for the rest of my life. People know I am a loyal, strong character and I won’t just run away when things are tough. I am proud of myself for that but I won’t lie. There are certainly times when I had opportunities to go elsewhere.

Such as?

I had bigger offers to join Manly, on better money, at the end of 2007 and 2010. They won the comp in 2008 and 2011. I won’t say it is something I don’t think about but I am very happy where I am at the moment.

Were you ever desperately close to going?

In 2007 I thought I was gone. I have a friend who lives in Manly and I went over there and looking for a place to live. If it was not for Ricky Stuart and a few words he said to me, I was gone.

What did he say?

He said if you leave you won’t play rep football again (laughs). He said it in a gee-up sort of way but I took it literally. In saying that, you look at the team we (Cronulla) had in 2008. We finished first that year (pre-finals) and they were a real good bunch of blokes.

What do you make of yourself as a player?

As a player, I know how hard I worked to get to where I am. I believe I work harder than everyone else ... I know I don’t have the line-breaking ability of a Greg Inglis, I am a rugged, up-the-middle player now. I was a lot faster five or six years ago when I played on the edge.

Justin Hodges and Paul Gallen at Suncorp Stadium to promote the 100th game of Origin.Source:News Corp Australia

How tough has it been for NSW running into this exceptional Queensland side?

I have been here for eight years now but I have only played in 16 games. I have had a pretty chequered Origin career. I can’t pin it on one thing. Queensland have been blessed with the side they have. I have played with (Maroons skipper) Cameron Smith and feel he is the best player I have ever seen.

Which player has hurt NSW the most?

Smith. He has more influence over the game than anyone I have ever seen, even as far as referees go. And that’s not having a go at him. That is the stature of him. How clever he is.

Why is he so good?

For me, I never know what he is going to do. He does not have that flair but he just has control. I watch him when he comes into dummy half and try to work out where his runners are going to go. I can never pick it. His kicking game is second to none and he has this ability to talk to referees and almost massage his way to get what he wants. And he is just tough. He does not hit hard but he just keeps going. I don’t want to wrap him up too much. But I am telling you the truth.

NSW Blues captain Paul Gallen.Source:News Limited

So Smith has been the nut you couldn’t crack?

I remember one game when he was injured and I was not selected for the NSW team, and was not sure whether we had picked the right team. It was the first game of the series and we lost. I reckon that was our big chance to win the game while he was out.

Has it pained you that you have given so much to the game, yet at club and interstate level you have not got the silverware you crave?

Not so much at club level because there have been some great players who have gone through and not won a premiership. They are pretty rare. A lot of things have to go right. The Origin thing bothers me. Definitely. A real lot. But, I am still here. I won’t be walking away from Origin until there is someone better to take my spot.

Does it take long to get along with the Queensland guys when you go into a Test camp?

Not for me now. I have got a great relationship with Cameron and Billy Slater. I get along really with Johnathan Thurston. I really like him.

Why?

He’s a really funny guy. I am not that funny but we muck around and get along well. We gee each other up and carry on. I am not going to sit here and say I go out with the whole Queensland team for lunch but on your day off, you hang with people you are more familiar with. As soon as you get to a game, everyone is there for each other.

Paul Gallen calls to his team mates.Source:Getty Images

What will you do after football?

Over the years I have done a real estate certificate, a business management diploma and a personal trainer’s certificate. I have done a lot of study because I was never convinced I would play rugby league for as long as I have. I would like to become involved in the business world. I did a lot of courses when I was coming to the end of my contracts just in case I never got another one. I always wanted a back-up plan.

Had the whole peptide scandal at Cronulla been difficult for you to handle?

It has not been harder for me than anyone else. A lot of the younger guys have struggled with it, including guys whose names you would not even know. They mentally struggled big-time. What annoys me is that I seemed to be the face of it. It always seems to be my picture in the paper. I have not suffered any more than anyone else.

Were the penalties too harsh?

I don’t know. To be honest I only know my situation, so it is too hard to speculate. My concern for the last year has always been for the players.